The present invention generally relates to jobsite construction activities, and, in particular and without limitation, to on-site conduit fabrication.
Electrical contractors tasked with wiring a building frequently must provide protective conduit through which the electrical wires are pulled. These protective conduits are generally composed of metallic materials, although some conduit may be composed of polyvinyl chloride materials. Methods have been developed by the electricians to measure and custom-bend the conduit to accommodate a wiring plan for the building, and such methods involve measuring long length of conduit, bending the conduit to bypass obstacles, and cutting the conduit to length. These activities generally involve the electrician laying the conduit on the floor, measuring lengths of conduit, cutting the conduit to length with a hacksaw or specialty tools, and bending the conduit to the desired configuration with a handheld conduit bender.
The mechanical conduit benders in use today consist of a bending head with a circular circumferential groove sized to fit the diameter of the conduit being bent and a hook to engage the conduit in the groove. A long handle is attached to an extension from the center of curvature, generally about three to five feet long, which the electrician uses to lever one end of the conduit against the floor to bend the other end of the conduit upwardly. These activities of measuring and bending involve much squatting and bending on the part of the electrician and can induce stress and fatigue by the end of the day. Furthermore, the electrician's handtools—saws, measuring tapes, conduit bender, levels, squares, and the like—tend to get scattered about the floor and can provide a tripping hazard, or they can be stepped on and possibly damaged. Stocks of conduit are stacked about the area waiting for use, and they may be dislodged to roll across the floor or prove hazardous to foot traffic.
As can be seen, there is a need for portable workbench to provide a worksurface at a comfortable height for common conduit bending, cutting, and fabrication activities. The portable workbench should be in the form of a cart with wheels sufficiently large to roll over low obstacles; it should enable the electrician to move his equipment rapidly to the proximity of the area in which conduit is being installed and provide storage capacity for conduit stock and electrician's tools. The workbench should also enable the electrician to rapidly measure and assemble the desired conduit configuration at a comfortable height that does not unduly fatigue the electrician.